


Camouflage Behavior in M. dictus: Distinguishing Ditto from Pidgey

by cadenzamuse



Category: Pokemon GO
Genre: Canon-Atypical Curse Words, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-10 14:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8920123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cadenzamuse/pseuds/cadenzamuse
Summary: Three first days of school in the life of Spark, graduate student and Pokemon master.  (Well, at least the first one, anyway.)





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TadpoleGlee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TadpoleGlee/gifts).



> As always, thanks to my regular Yuletide beta reader, thorya.
> 
> I am most familiar with the American graduate education system, so I have transplanted Oak Labs there as gently as possible. Characterizations of Pokemon lifted from the anime, and additional setting details reproduced as faithfully as possible from Bulbapedia's descriptions of Gen I.

_August 22, 2011_

Spark looked around his shoebox of a room and sighed happily.  He was moving up in the world!  Sure, if he spread his arms out, he could touch both walls, but after four years of sharing a suite, getting a room to himself in an _apartment_ — _two_ bathrooms and a kitchen!—was almost as much a dream come true as receiving the position as Professor Oak’s research assistant.

He was just finishing making his bed with his brand new yellow blanket when someone with white-blonde hair stepped into the doorway and cocked their head.  “What an exceptionally bright shade,” the person said.

Spark looked up.  “Uh, yeah.  Yellow’s my favorite color,” he said, a little defensively.

“I see,” the newcomer said. “I came to introduce myself.  I am Blanche, one of your new flatmates.”

“Oh, cool!  I’m Spark.  I’m in the zoology department.  Or, well, about to be, anyway.”

“I as well,” said Blanche.  “I am privileged to begin my studies of _monstra_ under the auspices of renowned research naturalist, Dr. Samuel Oak.”

Spark kept the interested smile on his face, although his heart sank a little.  “Really?  Me too.  That’s weird; I thought Professor Oak didn’t usually take on a lot of grad students.”

“Indeed, according to previous data, accepting two students in one academic year is a statistical outlier.”  The corners of Blanche’s flat expression turned down.

“Don’t be disappointed,” Spark said.  “I’m sure there’s enough Pokémon for the both of us.”

“You mean the three of us,” a sardonic voice said, as a woman in a white trenchcoat with a hairdo even more epic than Spark’s strode into the apartment.  “I’m Candela,” she declared.  “You’re Blanche, and you’re Spark.  I know a lot about you, keep your enemies close, right?”

Blanche sputtered briefly.  “I doubt we are to be pitted against each other, and if we are, I am sure that my impeccable resume and extensive post-baccalaureate research experience will be to my advantage.”

Candela stiffened.  “Keep dreaming, petal.  When you change your mind, you can come talk to a real battle master.”

Spark saw Blanche’s mouth pinch in tightly and winced.  Before Blanche could reply, he asked, “So you’re a trainer?  I mean, that’s what you’d call yourself?  Not a researcher?”

Candela nodded in Spark’s direction, smirking.  “Call me…an experimentalist.  Observational research can only get you so far.”

Spark had managed an inane “okay, cool” before he was interrupted.  “What are you insinuating?” Blanche demanded.  “I am not going to allow you to belittle me in my apartment!”

“Honey, maybe you should stop belittling _me_ in _my_ apartment first!”

Blanche let out a strangled yell.  “I can’t believe this!  We’re _living together_?”

Candela fished a key out of her pocket and dangled it in Blanche’s face; Blanche shoved her hand away, hissing, “Stay away from me,” then dashed past Candela toward one of the rooms on the other side of the apartment.

Spark blinked a few times, overwhelmed.  Candela made a face at him.  “Well, that didn’t go as intended,” she said.  “Sorry about that.”

“Uh…it’s…okay, I guess?”

Candela sighed.  “Thanks.  I’ll talk to them later, try to patch things up.  Just totally rubbed me the wrong way.”

“I could tell,” Spark said, as sarcastically as he could manage.

“Yeah…I dunno…I just get insecure around people that pretty.  Dear God, they’re gorgeous when they’re mad, right?”

Spark squinted at Candela.  “That’s kind of fucked up.  You know that, right?”

“Yeah, sorry, I’ll fix it.” Candela waved a hand airily.  “Anyway, gonna go unpack my room now.  Nice to meet you, Sparky!”  And she was gone.

Spark shut his door firmly behind her, then clambered onto his bed.  He had to live and work with both Blanche and Candela?  Man, he hadn’t thought he was going to miss his undergrad suitemates this quickly.  Or, you know, ever.  He pulled a Pokeball out of his hoodie pocket, rubbed his thumb over one of the flat spots his fingers had worn into it.  “Bulbasaur, I choose you!” he said, and tossed the ball at the floor.  He fell asleep to the familiar sound of Bulbasaur growling “Bulba!  Bulba!” softly in the corner.

 

* * *

 

_August 18, 2014_

“Hurry _up,_ Dela, we are going to be so late!” Spark called, knocking on Candela’s door rapidly.  He paused for a few seconds, then, when there was no answer, put his ear against the door.  He could hear rustling, then a muffled moan.  He rapped on the door again.

“Candalaria Porras i Bernat!  Stop fooling around with Blanche and get out here, or I’m going to leave you both.  We were supposed to be at the lab ten minutes ago!”  Spark shifted from foot to foot and jiggled Candela’s doorknob.

Finally, the door opened, revealing Candela and Blanche, red-faced and a little rumpled looking. “Thanks, Spark, sorry, Spark,” Candela said, hurrying past him towards the door to the apartment.

“We did not intend to get quite so carried away,” Blanche added, following them both to the parking deck.

“You say that every time,” Spark groaned.  “I hate that you guys have so much fun without me.  The least you could do is deal me in on a threesome.”

Blanche paused at the car door, raising an eyebrow at Spark.  “You are always welcome to join us in future sexual activities,” Blanche said.

“Ew, no!  That would be like having sex with my sister!  …oh God!  Two sisters!”

Candela turned the key in the ignition, snickering.

 

* * *

 

_August 22, 2016_

Spark stood on his tiptoes and twisted sideways to dump nine identical Pokeballs from his hoodie pocket to his desk.  “C’mon, c’mon,” he muttered to himself, touching each ball rapidly in turn.  “Pidgey, Pidgey, Pidgey…where the hell is that Ditto?”  He shuffled through the Pokeballs again, before frantically checking the empty pocket of his hoodie.

Blanche materialized at his elbow.  “Right coat pocket,” Blanche said, making Spark jump.

“How do you always do that?” he whined, sticking his hand into the pocket of his leather jacket.  “Yes!  Got it!  Thank you!”

“You do not pay enough attention to your surroundings,” Blanche replied.

“I prefer to think it’s some freaky Blanche mysticism.  _Mysticism._   Get it?”  Spark waggled his eyebrows.

“I know.  You have explained it to me.  Repeatedly.”

“Aww, I love you too.  Now scram, it’s almost time to start.  You know if the kids see the leader of Team Instinct chatting with the leader of Team Mystic, they’ll be disappointed.  Gotta keep the mystery alive until at least fall break!”

“You will not last until Labor Day,” Blanche replied fondly, then headed back towards the R&D room, where a giant blue Articuno banner hung above the doorway.

Spark took a deep breath as the front doors to the lab opened and children started pouring through.  “Step right up!” he called, stretching his arms out wide.  Encouraged, the ten birds flapped and jumped their way from his desk to his arms.  “Guess which Pidgey’s really a Ditto!  You’ll never lose when you trust your instincts!”


End file.
